Soundingr-board for pianofortes



SOUNDING BOARD FOR PIANOPORTES.

' P a t e n t e d P e b 6 l 8 5 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. GRAY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

SOUNDING-IBOARID FOR PIANOFORTES.

7 Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,362, dated February 6, 1855.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMEs A. GRAY, of the city and county of Albany and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Sounding-Board for the Pianoforte; and I do hereby declare that the following specification and accompanying drawings are a full and exact description, No. 1 being a surface and No. 2 an end view.

The nature of my invention consists in corrugating the surface of the sounding boardsaid corrugations being 1st for the purpose of giving the sounding board more sounding surface and 2d to give it the required stiffness Without the usual bars glued on either side for the purpose of stiffening or strengthening the same. This arrangement of corrugating the sounding board also makes it stand the variations and changes of climate much better than the usual Way of barring the sounding board inasmuch as not being barred on either side it can shrink Without cracking and expand Without springing When exposed to extreme dry or damp atmosphere as is frequently the case When the board has bars glued on the under side, thereby causing derangement to the parts of the piano forte connected \vlth it. Of course I do not confine myself to any particular form or number of corrugatlons; but any number that may be necessary.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The improvement of the sounding board of the piano forte by corrugating its surface; therebyuncreasing its sounding surface and givlng 1t sufficient stiffness or strength Without gluing cross bars on either side.

City of Albany, January 20, 1855.

' JAMES A. GRAY.

In the presence of R. J. WILTON, I WM. M. CAMMON. 

